Thanks to his past life and his experience being manipulated by a bunch of old fossils, Qiyun saw right through Sarutobi Hiruzen's unfathomable depth. Still, that was to be expected—after all, the man was the village chief.
...
Ugh, calling him the village chief felt so utterly lacking in prestige, instantly dragging the vibe down to a rustic countryside level.
"…Qiyun, Qiyun." Obito whispered softly, calling his name.
"What is it?" Qiyun raised his gaze.
"What did you mean during lunch just now?" Obito kept his voice small, as if he were whispering some scandalous secret.
"Just some inconsequential nonsense," Qiyun replied casually. He genuinely felt that Obito had no need—nor any business—knowing about these things. The naive boy still harbored innocent dreams and was entirely unaware that his clan was being targeted by the higher-ups. Unless a Hokage who wanted to change this status quo came along, or Obito experienced some miraculous stroke of fate, Qiyun didn't believe the boy could defy the heavens and change his destiny.
"Hmph～" Hearing that, Obito puffed out his cheeks. "No way! Why can't you tell me?!"
Even an Obito of this period could tell that Qiyun was simply brushing him off, so the young Uchiha unhappily glared at Qiyun with his pitch-black eyes.
Qiyun chuckled. "It's not really convenient to talk about matters between the Old Man and me with Obito."
He chose a slightly more tactful approach.
"Ohh, so that's how it is." Obito accepted the explanation effortlessly and scratched his head in embarrassment. "Still, I really wouldn't have thought you'd talk to your dad like that."
"He is the White Fang, but he's also Kakashi's and my father," Qiyun said.
Psychologically, he was already an adult, so he didn't need a father's affection. But Kakashi was different; though the boy disguised it well, Qiyun could still catch the involuntary flashes of loss in his eyes.
Before now, Qiyun had never brought this up with Sakumo because he understood the responsibilities resting on Sakumo's shoulders and grasped his feelings for Konoha. Yet the current political climate always made Qiyun feel as though this was the calm before the storm.
Returning with the monumental merits of the Second Great Ninja War, Sakumo had become the ANBU Commander. Even without deliberate promotion, his prestige was at its zenith—to the point where, the moment the Third Hokage stepped down, the seat of Hokage would naturally be his.
It would be fine if Sakumo actually wanted to be Hokage, but the problem was that he didn't. For someone like him to become a thorn in others' sides was entirely expected. The correct course of action would be to immediately step away from the center of power, keep a low profile, and rely on sheer skill to remain unshaken.
Qiyun frowned. When he and Kakashi had gone out, that lingering, ambiguous sense of being watched and the underlying malice were definitely not his imagination.
He realized that not only Sakumo, but even he himself had grown naive after living a second life. Even a mere village chief here engaged in fierce political struggles, and Sakumo clearly lacked that kind of scheming nature. His weaknesses were glaringly obvious—namely, his two sons, him and Kakashi. If those unknown political rivals wanted to use them to make a move...
At that very thought, his azure eyes churned like a stormy sea, rough and turbulent.
Seeing that Qiyun was ignoring him, Obito hurriedly laid out his futon to make a floor bed, suddenly jolting as he looked left and right like a startled rabbit.
What was going on?! He felt like he had just sensed killing intent!
In just an instant, the murderous aura radiating from Qiyun vanished. Looking at the bewildered Obito, Qiyun felt a slight sense of astonishment at the boy's sharpness. Was this some kind of small animal's intuition?
"Q… Qiyun, I won't ask anymore, don't be mad." Obito's intuition told him that Qiyun was in a bad mood, but not knowing why, he figured it must have been his own fault.
"…Ah." Qiyun snapped out of it and said, "I was just thinking about something, it has nothing to do with you."
"Oh." Obito pouted. Though he desperately wanted to know what Qiyun was thinking, he didn't dare ask and could only give a wronged little response.
As a stubborn Uchiha who could stand up to Kakashi's cold and arrogant face and argue with him even when completely outmatched, Obito somehow shrunk a size smaller in front of Qiyun. He just had a gut feeling that truly angering Qiyun would lead to something terrifying.
"Go to sleep early, we have school tomorrow," Qiyun said, switching off the bedroom light.
The entire room plunged into sudden darkness, save for the faint moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains.
Obito kept his eyes closed for a moment before finally cracking them open. This was his first time staying overnight outside his own clan grounds. Since he was home alone anyway, and it had gotten late after dinner, Sakumo had invited him to stay the night, and he had eagerly accepted.
Obito and Kakashi couldn't stand each other and definitely didn't want to share a room, so he had naturally chosen Qiyun's.
Right now, despite having exercised heavily all day and even getting injured, Obito didn't feel a shred of sleepiness. He rolled over, propped his head up on bent arms, and looked toward the bed.
In the hazy moonlight, he could only make out a dark silhouette.
Obito stared blankly at Qiyun's form, his mind replaying the silver-haired boy's bright smile. In truth, the very first time he saw Qiyun, his heart had skipped a beat—though back then, Obito had thought Qiyun was a girl.
Was everything happening right now real? Had he really become Qiyun's friend, walking home with him, eating with him, and sleeping in the same room?
The young Uchiha sleeping on the floor grew less and less sleepy by the minute.
The dark silhouette shifted, turning completely around until a pair of bright, azure eyes met his dark ones.
"Can't sleep?" Qiyun asked helplessly.
He wasn't dead; naturally, he could feel Obito's gaze fixed on him.
Caught red-handed, Obito sat up instantly, his entire face flushing bright red as he flailed his hands in a panic. "Q… Qiyun, I… I just couldn't sleep, ah hahaha..."
Watching him flail his arms about, Qiyun left a string of ellipses in his mind.
He discovered that he simply couldn't read what was going on inside Obito's head. This guy was far too unpredictable and erratic—he was practically Qiyun's natural nemesis!
"…Are you not used to sleeping on the floor?" Qiyun asked.
"It's fine, really," Obito said, scratching the back of his head.
Observing his energetic face and wearing a deadpan expression, Qiyun clearly didn't believe him. He sat up as well and patted the space beside him.
"Forget it, come sleep up here," he said.
Obito's eyes widened. "Eh? I… can I?"
"It's fine, get up here."
Granted Qiyun's permission, Obito scrambled onto the bed right away.
Looking at the dopey grin on the boy's face, Qiyun left yet another mental ellipsis.
To be honest, Qiyun certainly wasn't used to having someone else share his bed. Listening to Obito's shallow breathing, he turned his head toward the curtains, forcing himself to grow accustomed to the presence of another person right beside him.
As for Obito, he buried his face in a blanket that still carried a faint trace of lemon scent, quickly drifting off to sleep beneath the lingering exhaustion of the day.
Qiyun told himself not to bicker with a child, but after failing to grow used to Obito's presence and finding himself completely devoid of sleep, he quietly slipped out of his own room and pushed open the door to Kakashi's bedroom.
Though Kakashi lacked Qiyun's razor-sharp sensory perception, he still woke up instantly.
Half-asleep, the little silver-haired boy half-closed his eyes, his voice softening and turning sweet with drowsiness. "Nii-san… why are you here…"
"Obito couldn't fall asleep next door," Qiyun explained, lifting the blanket to slide into bed and pulling Kakashi tightly into his arms.
In this world, Qiyun could only truly relax beside his twin brother, whom he had never been apart from since birth.
"Mm…" Kakashi didn't resist, wrapping both arms around Qiyun's waist and rubbing his soft, fair cheek against his older brother's warm chest before closing his eyes in peace.
Having a younger brother was the best! Qiyun hugged his fragrant and soft little brother with absolute satisfaction.
He spent the night without a single dream.
"Obito, time to wake up." Qiyun stood by his bed, letting out a yawn with a tiny tear welling in the corner of his eye.
"Mmrgh… five more minutes…" Obito hugged his blanket and refused to let go.
Qiyun had a creeping sense of deja vu, as if this exact scene played out every single morning.
He began to ponder: given that Obito was older than both him and Kakashi, and he himself was older than Kakashi, yet in daily life Kakashi took care of him while dealing with Obito meant *he* had to take care of Obito... was maturity inversely proportional to age here?
"Aniki, you still haven't woken Obito up?" Kakashi poked his little head in from the doorway.
The little silver-haired boy walked over to the bed, looked at the lump under the covers, and stated flatly, "Figures. So the reason you're always late is just that you sleep in."
Perhaps it was truly destined for them to be at odds, because upon hearing Kakashi's cold tone, Obito leaped straight out of the futon, his sleepiness banished in an instant.
"I told you that's not it! It's because there was an old granny who needed help!"
"How are there so many old grannies needing your help?" Kakashi gave him a deadpan look.
"There just are!" Obito argued defiantly. He would never lie!
"Obito's telling the truth, you know. He's quite famous among the grandpas and grandmas," Qiyun said with a gentle, curving smile.
"Is that so..." Kakashi frowned slightly.
"Of course it is!" Obito crossed his arms, turning his nose up in triumph.
"Even if you're the Friend of the Elderly, it doesn't change the fact that you're always late. Besides, if you don't get up right now, you're going to be late again," Kakashi pointed out.
"Eh?!!" Obito scrambled into his clothes in a flurry. "Qiyun, why didn't you wake me up?!"
"Well~ you looked like you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to disturb you," Qiyun said with a beaming smile.
"I… is that so…" Obito's face flushed. "You really don't have to worry about me like that."
Kakashi watched speechlessly as his older brother reeled Obito in until the boy had a silly, hooked-lip grin on his face. He had known all along that while Qiyun looked pure and good-natured, he was actually full of mischief! Last night Qiyun had clearly slept in his own bed the whole night and had only just gone over to wake Obito up, yet he claimed he didn't have the heart to wake him—he was totally just teasing this idiot.
With that thought, Kakashi's gaze toward Obito turned somewhat pitying. He suddenly felt a sense of superiority born from intellectual dominance.
Kakashi's good mood vanished entirely by the time they encountered the fifth old lady on their way to school. Expressionless, he watched as Obito cheerfully helped a trembling elderly woman cross the street, returning to the two of them with a handful of candies.
"Qiyun, half for you!" Obito dropped the candies into Qiyun's palm, grinning broadly.
Looking at the sweets with their pretty wrappers resting in his hand, Qiyun fluttered his long eyelashes before narrowing his eyes slightly into a smile. "Thank you, Obito."
"Heh heh." Gazing at Qiyun's exquisite face, Obito felt a blush creep up his cheeks once more, and he scratched his head sheepishly.
E-even though Qiyun was a boy, he was so good-looking—especially when he smiled. Obito thought with a hint of regret: if only Qiyun were a girl, then he could... he could...
"Aahhh! Stop thinking like that!" Obito furiously slapped both cheeks with his hands, leaving a pair of red palm prints behind.
"What kind of madness are you acting out now? You've already wasted so much time on the road, and now you're even spacing out," Kakashi remarked coolly.
"How can helping an elderly person be called wasting time?!"
"I don't have time to argue with you right now. After all, I don't feel like being late."
"You…! You hateful Kakashi!"
"Alright, alright, you two. Keep arguing and we really *will* be late. Well… I'm heading out first~" Qiyun dashed ahead by a large margin in a single burst of speed.
Kakashi silently fell in step behind Qiyun.
"Hey… wait up for me!" Obito hurried after them in a panic.
Thanks to Qiyun's precise timekeeping, the three of them once more arrived at the classroom right as the bell rang.
"Hss..." Once he sat down with a thud and caught his breath, Obito finally felt the pain radiating from his knees.
No matter how strong a ninja's physical constitution was, it wouldn't heal overnight—let alone when he was just an ordinary Uchiha kid.
"Your wound split open," Qiyun said, lowering his gaze to look at Obito's dark trousers.
"I… I'm fine, it's just a minor issue," Obito waved a hand dismissively.
"Right. Don't push yourself."
Though he didn't think today's training would repeat yesterday's, Qiyun still offered a word of caution. Children in the Shinobi World started training far too early; everyone sitting here right now was only four or five years old—an age that, in his past life, would still be spent in kindergarten.
When formal class began, Teacher Yamamoto duly announced that today's lesson would be shuriken throwing. Much easier than physical conditioning, it tested hand-eye coordination and technique far more.
Led by Teacher Yamamoto, the class moved to the outdoor training grounds.
Staring at the targets across the yard, Obito let out a massive sigh of relief. If they had to run another fifty laps like yesterday, his legs wouldn't have held out.
Though Qiyun kept telling him not to push himself, to Obito, those words felt like someone pointing right at his nose to say he was only capable of this much, further highlighting the gap between them. He refused to be left behind!
At the very least... at the very least, he wouldn't fall too far behind!
Clutching his shuriken, Obito locked his gaze firmly onto the target opposite him, his eyes burning with a determination so fierce it looked as though he were ready to enlist in a revolution on the spot.
Beside him, Teacher Yamamoto nodded inwardly. That aura looked promising, and members of the Uchiha clan were always quite skilled at shuri—
Whoosh!
A chilling gust of wind swept past the top of Teacher Yamamoto's head, and the instructor tremblingly reached up to touch his now-chilly scalp.
"UCHIHA OBITO!!!"
On his second day of school, Obito managed to make an impression on everyone in a way he never could have wanted.